In case anyone needed reminding that Skoda’s key talent is to produce better kinds of value-biased Volkswagens.

Price: $63,990.

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, 132kW/320Nm, seven-speed DSG automatic, AWD, combined economy 9.3L/100km, 205g/km CO2.

Vital statistics: 4697mm long, 1655mm high, 1882mm wide, 2791mm wheelbase, 560-2005 litres luggage capacity litres, 19-inch wheels.

Like: Maintains as a well-sorted and reasonably-kitted everyman family wagon.

Don't like: Hasn’t as much easy oomph as the discontinued diesel; many plastics in too-sombre hues.

MID-life facelifts sometimes afford a maker opportunity to effect major change; sometimes to rekindle interest, occasionally to remedy a sales-restricting shortcoming.

 What to make of the Skoda Kodiaq when its updated form rolls out by and large appearing remarkably unremarkable in alteration?

 As one who has been a fan of this car from its release – and yes, also of the brand (admission: We own a Skoda Karoq) – I’d suggest this isn’t Skoda being lazy and much more about the VW Group high-flier playing safe.

 It’s this marque acknowledging something that’s really quite obvious to the car’s strong fanbase; mainly, that it is, at core, so decent any further development has to be carefully considered, else they might risk spoil the tasty flavour.

 Sure, that’s not to say the old and new are utterly indistinguishable. Indeed, it’s not that hard to pick them apart. Yet, when it comes down to overall feel and ambience? Put it this way. Anyone with even fleeting familiarity of the predecessor would be entirely untroubled navigating the new.

 Certainly, too, it’s readily apparent from a week with the latest model in its highly-favoured 2.0-litre Style presentation that the historic attractions of no-nonsense seven-seat practicality, affordability and dependability – basically, all the qualities you’d likely desire of a modern family sports utility wagon – remain very much intact and unsullied.

 That’s comforting news, no doubt, for the people who have already joined the Kodiaq fan club. There’s a fair few. That first gen ‘Skodiaq’ achieved more than 600,000 units worldwide in its first-out format.

 It’s so vital, and such a big hitter, Skoda production spans beyond the factories in the Czech Republic that are the sourcing point for NZ product. Plants in China, India and – though perhaps not just at the moment – Russia also knock it out. 

 In NZ, this is the Skoda most favoured by you and I: Private buyers. But it’s not the highest volume car here. The latter descriptive belongs to the two versions of the Superb it doesn’t ‘sell’ via dealerships – these being models that are law and order bespoke. The police contract has more than doubled this brand’s market penetration and might grow all the more if current trials of the plug-in hybrid model prove successful.

 For this freshen, as is inevitably the case, ‘facelift’ has a literal meaning. There’s a wider, more upright grille flanked by new headlights that are a bit slimmer and also have a slight kick to the bottom edge, which now run with LED Matrix technology (the old car’s lamps were great, but these are brighter). The revision stops there.

 Around the back there are new LED tail lights too, most of the range getting 'dynamic' indicators. A slight restyling of the back bumper has been applied, there's a new gloss black roof spoiler and different alloy wheel designs.

 Look around inside and you see more cosmetic changes; a revision of trim, a new steering wheel, a different central touchscreen. The specification has sharpened a touch, the pricing rejigged and there have been some alterations to the powertrain choice, though no ‘new’ engines, per se. While one is fresh to Skoda application in this model, all have run with other Skodas or behind other badges in the VW group.

 The national distributor has settled on four versions, all in seven-seater format, with everything taking a pure petrol pathway from now on. That latter change certainly wasn’t driven by local buy-in trends here but, instead, is due to Europe’s ever tightening resolve to remove diesel-fuelled passenger product from the road.

 The local model taking the biggest hit from the emissions rule revisions is, of course, the halo RS. The performance item loses the remarkable – and locally well-received - twin turbocharged 176kW/500Nm oiler for a single turbo 2.0 TSI petrol, the EA888 in the Octavia RS, made famous by VW hotties. Power climbs 4kW, torque erodes by 130Nm. The price climbs $6000.

 With diesel departed, it’s potentially a pity Kodiaq isn’t set to adopt the petrol-electric hybrid technology recently introduced to the Superb and Octavia here. That might not become something we dwell upon for too long, as the make reportedly intends to abandon plug-in tech completely and instead focus its resources on fully-electric vehicles anyway.

 But anyway. The other Kodiaq variants for us are the $48,990 Ambition, $74,990 Sportline and the subject of today’s test, the $63,990 Style that places between them.

 The entry car is the only one lacking all-wheel-drive and it takes a turbocharged 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine making 110kW, married to a six-speed DSG auto.

 The Style and Sportline run a common 2.0-litre TSI, but the latter brings 15kW more to the table, married to a seven-speed direct shift gearbox. It’s a drivetrain already familiar to this market, so should keep doing well.

 The Style is an interesting waypoint; not too basic, but not too glam, either. As previously, this level can be enhanced to suit a buyer’s taste. Notwithstanding that car production is a challenging business at the moment, and that any kind of new car seems subject to to some kind of wait list, I’d suggest considering spending just a little more on this one. It might buy a lot.

 A great example of that is replacing the analogue instruments in the test car for a swankier 10.25-inch digital instrument display (called Virtual Cockpit). A job undertaken during assembly adds but $1000 to the cost., which to me seems a very premium to pay for a much higher quality-looking and acting technology. So why not just make it standard? The international shortage of microchips potentially makes Skoda NZ very glad they did not.

 Also, on the options list are ergonomic seats upholstered in perforated leather. These can be heated and ventilated, have electrical adjustment and a massage function; a big step up, undoubtedly, from the standard ‘eco' seats, so named because they employ recycled materials Skoda labels as vegan, which I’d have to say do feel a touch shapeless.

 One item the updated Kodiaq takes, regardless of consumer whim, is Volkswagen Group's latest infotainment software and hardware, with a built-in eSIM and 'over the air' updates. The central touchscreen measures 8.0- or 9.2 inches across the diagonal. It’s a good thing. The displays are much the same as before but operability response times are sharper.

 It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the recharging pad in which basically any size of phone can be laid is now better positioned; the old one sat so close to the gear lever you couldn’t get the phone out when in Drive.

 You can still tether your phone and achieve the power and integration, though be aware the plug-in ports are now USB-C, so any older devices will require an adapter. Skoda still insists on placing its ports for vertical input, whereas every other VW Group brand sites them horizontally, a much better idea. As a Karoq owner, I can relate that the Skoda placement is irksome as the tether is much more prone to accidentally dislodge.

 Even with all the mod-cons, expect the cockpit to still look a little plain. That’s just Skoda’s approach; it’s all about delivering good value without being too ostentatious. On top of that, there’s also that desire not to change simply for the sake of it. Maybe that ideal goes a little but too far, in that you can spot the Kodiaq's age in some of its switchgear.

 The drawback of it still being one of those cars that puts the central cupholders behind the gear-selector remains inherent (basically, you cannot put any kind of personal drink bottle there. These do slot into the door bins, but tend to rattle about in that location.

 Skoda’s famous bent for sensibility does evidence throughout, of course. It irks the detachable torch in the boot has gone, but it’s nice that it retains the brolly in the door and the icescraper/magnifying glass in the fuel door. I like that the reason why the reversible rubber mat in that central cupholder has little notches and spaces cut into one side is so it can snugly hold tickets, cards and even the car key. Such a small thing, but a great idea.

 That’s just a small reminder of the Kodiaq’s core strength of being a very versatile vehicle, with lots of clever useful features and plenty of places to store things.

 The storage box under the centre armrest is huge, it has two gloveboxes and, beyond that, the cabin as a whole is simply very commodious.

 There's more than generous kneeroom for rear seat passengers, and lots of headroom too. A colleague with kids reminds that the young ‘uns appreciate the simple, flat window line, as it affords a great view out. Given how wide the second row seat is, it seems a bit odd there are two rather than three ISOFIX points, in each outer rear seat.

 The rear seats do split, fold and slide individually though, which of course gives access to the folding third row. These are also fairly decent; arguably not for a long journey if adults are consigned there (getting in and out might be awkward, also), but not bad for this category. With all seats in use, there's still 270 litres of boot space remaining, climbing to a vast 765 litres when the rearmost chairs aren't required. Fold all the seats flat and you get a van-like 2005 litres of cargo space, plus 75kg of weight on a roof-rack.

 All the safety gear you’d expect of a modern family car is in place, Skoda now having moved to standardise active ingredients that have in the past, been cost-extras as standard fit now.

 However, be aware that it’s one of many brands affected by the semiconductor shortage. In the case of this model, some examples have come through without the side assist, 360-degree camera and pre-crash rear (and the Canton sound system) that were implemented on the test car. Potential for these to be retro-fitted would seem challenging.

 This is still a big, heavy car and though it is surprisingly alert through corners, it’s not the derivative to showboat in.

 This spec is primarily about delivering a soothing, relaxing experience; push it too hard and, though the traction remains decent, occupants will have to put up with lean and pitch. Play it more sensibly and dial back that enthusiasm and it works perfectly well as a pliant SUV.

 It’s a shame diesel is no longer in the picture, because for all the headaches that fuel type has created for VW, there’s still no doubt the old turbodiesel was a good fit in this model; punchy in the mid-range and perfectly capable of hauling a car of this size and weight around without straining too hard.

 You don’t buy a seven-seat bus to crush it at stoplight grands prix, but in the forum in which it competes, you might consider the petrol’s alacrity in its responses to be more measured than some. Unsurprisingly moreso when it is hauling with more than dual occupancy. Another reason for spending up on the Sportline? Personally that $11k climb for another 15kW and some additional sports treatment would vex.

 Slightly laidback involvement aside, there’s no questioning the overall competency of this engine in its 132kW guise. When you’re in the sweet zone, too, the economy settles down really nicely. But acceptance that it’s an honest operator in which the performance is never overwhelming would seem reasonable.

 One ingredient that lends to going a bit easy is the DSG transmission’s occasional hesitancy in engaging. Not just from a standstill but also in movement. It might be a petrol ‘thing’ to do with differing ‘as and when’ torque loadings; my Karoq diesel does seem less prone to it.

 The model carries over all the previous drive modes including Snow and Off-road settings – that one not to be taken too seriously, they’re thinking light duty rather than Land Cruiser - and various on-road tunes ranging from Eco through to Sport, which will tend to become the default, frankly. The 2000kg towing capacity is a handy element.

 When Kodiaq came out it resisted any harsh criticism and, really, that also stands true for this mid-life update. The first - and still the only - model from the Czech brand with space for a driver plus six passengers still sits handily as a very attractive choice for those seeking a value-for-money yet quality option that’s right on the money for safety technology.

 For sure,  the lack of a hybrid option might be lamented, given that’s where the Toyota Highlander, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe have gone.

 Yet even without electric-assist the likelihood that it will keep one being a Skoda stalwart here (not only in new form, but also as a used prospect) seems strong.